Director of Campus Operations
A Director of Campus Operations oversees the daily and strategic management of all campus facilities, from maintenance and construction to custodial services and safety. This is a sample job description from Excelon Associates, drawn from a higher education search, that you can adapt as a template for your own hire.
What does a Director of Campus Operations do?
The Director of Campus Operations oversees the daily and strategic management of all campus facilities, including maintenance, construction, custodial services, and safety operations. The ideal candidate combines technical expertise in facilities management with a forward-thinking approach to sustainability, budgeting, and team leadership.
The goal is to keep the institution's physical environment aligned with its academic mission and long-term goals, balancing day-to-day reliability against the larger projects that shape the campus for years to come.
Campus operations, also called facilities management, is the oversight of an institution's physical plant: its buildings, grounds, mechanical systems, custodial services, and safety functions. Capital improvement projects are the major investments in new construction or renovation that this role plans, budgets, and directs.
What does this role manage?
What are the key responsibilities?
- Oversee maintenance, custodial, and operational teams to ensure efficient campus functionality.
- Maintain vendor relationships and negotiate contracts for services and materials.
- Collaborate with senior leadership to align facilities operations with institutional priorities.
- Develop and manage budgets for facilities, utilities, and capital improvement projects.
- Direct new construction and renovation projects, ensuring compliance with safety and building regulations.
- Implement sustainability initiatives and energy management programs.
- Lead emergency preparedness planning, risk mitigation, and regulatory compliance.
What qualifications are required?
- Bachelor's degree in Facilities Management, Engineering, Business Administration, or a related field, with a Master's preferred.
- Minimum of 8 years of experience in facilities or campus operations, preferably within higher education or a large institutional setting.
- Strong understanding of mechanical systems, building codes, and capital project management.
- Proven leadership, communication, and organizational skills.
Why is this role important?
The Director of Campus Operations makes sure every student, faculty member, and visitor experiences a safe, functional, and inspiring environment. The role safeguards the physical foundation of the institution, balancing operational excellence with sustainability, efficiency, and long-term vision.
It is a quiet but high-leverage position. The person in this seat shapes the daily campus experience and supports the institution's mission through steady, strategic facilities stewardship.
What does a Director of Campus Operations earn?
In Excelon Associates' Director of Campus Operations searches, offers have typically landed between $100,000 and $130,000 per year. The Bureau of Labor Statistics groups this role under postsecondary education administrators (SOC 11-9033), which carried a median annual wage of $103,960 in May 2024. That category spans deans through admissions leadership, so pay for any single title can sit well off its midpoint.
Campus count and facilities scope set the band, with multi-site operations leaders at the top.
A hiring note from Excelon
The best campus operations leaders are equally comfortable reading a mechanical schematic and a capital budget. We pay close attention to candidates who have delivered renovation or construction projects on time and on budget inside an institutional setting, because that combination of technical depth and fiscal discipline is harder to find than either skill alone.
When campus operations work well, no one notices. The job is to make sure the building, the budget, and the safety plan all hold up on the days that matter.
Frequently asked questions
What does a Director of Campus Operations do?
A Director of Campus Operations oversees the daily and strategic management of all campus facilities, including maintenance, construction, custodial services, and safety operations, while managing budgets, sustainability initiatives, and operational teams.
What qualifications are required?
This sample role calls for a bachelor's degree in facilities management, engineering, business administration, or a related field, with a master's preferred, plus a minimum of eight years of experience in facilities or campus operations.
What areas does this role oversee?
The Director oversees maintenance, custodial, and operational teams, new construction and renovation, utilities and capital improvement budgets, sustainability and energy programs, vendor relationships, and emergency preparedness.
What technical knowledge is needed?
The role requires a strong understanding of mechanical systems, building codes, and capital project management, along with proven leadership, communication, and organizational skills.
Why is this role important?
The Director safeguards the physical foundation of the institution, making sure every student, faculty member, and visitor experiences a safe, functional, and inspiring environment while balancing operational excellence with sustainability and long-term vision.
How much does a Director of Campus Operations make?
Director of Campus Operations offers in Excelon Associates' searches have typically ranged from $100,000 to $130,000 per year, against a BLS median of $103,960 for the broader postsecondary education administrators category (SOC 11-9033, May 2024). Campus count and facilities scope set the band, with multi-site operations leaders at the top..
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Excelon Associates recruits facilities and operations leaders for colleges and universities nationwide, connecting institutions with professionals who combine technical expertise, fiscal discipline, and strategic vision to keep campuses safe, sustainable, and efficient. Retained executive search since 2007, headquartered in Asheville, NC. The average Excelon search delivers a slate of 5 qualified candidates in 3 to 5 weeks, with 88 searches completed in the last 12 months.
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